Pieces in time
by sekangel7
Summary: After Gabriel's death, Sam couldn't take it anymore. Leaving the life he had been raised in, he attempts to give his son a better life than he had been given and to hide the painful past behind. But as usual, things don't usually stay gone especially when his fourteen year old's powers won't stay bound forever. Sooner or later the truth would come out and so will the dark past.
1. Prologue

A/N: The characters of supernatural aren't mine

* * *

**~Prologue~**

Gabriel was dead.

Sam tried to tell himself that it wasn't true and that any minute Gabriel was going to be his annoying self again but as much as he had started to look for the cretin, he hadn't shown up at all. Depression hit fast and he knew that Lucifer wouldn't give up. How could he? Sam only became angered when thinking about the devil. Didn't he feel bad about killing his own brother? Never mind that angels were either a brother or a sister, Gabriel was a fellow archangel that knew him almost as much as he had known himself and Lucifer never hesitated. It hurt to think that before they started to work as a team, Gabriel was the furthest from his mind but now-Gabriel had been his life.

How was Sam ever going to live without him?

Ignoring Dean's loud snores, he attempted to think of the positive side of things. Crowley had helped them find the demon that would bring them to pestilence but the younger Winchester wondered if he even deserved all this in the end. The apocalypse happened because of him and because of him, Gabriel had been forced to do what he never wanted to do in the first place. The archangel had to fight against his brothers, his family. Family that meant as much or more to him than Sam could ever imagine. The same family that Sam hadn't wanted to be a part of when he went out and sought a normal life.

Sadly he still wanted that but not for just him anymore.

No, it was for the life growing inside of him now. Gabriel didn't want to have a relationship with him, Sam knew it although it was the same thing for him in the beginning. Why have a relationship with an ass that didn't care. But he had and Sam didn't even realize how much it was that he had until it was too late. Did the archangel ever learn, Sam thought depressingly. Glancing down and bringing a hand to his slightly distended abdomen, he knew what he was going to do, even if it hurt him. He couldn't do this.

Dean would understand in the end.

He really would. Hunting was no place for a child, especially a child that shouldn't have come about. What would the angels do if they found out that Gabriel procreated? It would do nothing to help, that was for sure. Sam knew one thing though and if it took his last breath, he was going to do something to keep the baby safe. Cas couldn't find Sam, that was why he had to use a cellphone to contact them and Dean would lose his location if Sam didn't have the GPS. He was sure that Crowley would lose interest if he thought that Sam wasn't important anymore. Most of all, he knew that if he somehow bounded the powers his baby would have, he would be able to keep the baby safe. He didn't know for how long but it had to be better than what he had looking for him here.

"I'm sorry Dean," Sam whispered, pausing to place the note on the side table. He knew that Dean would be angry when he woke up and didn't see Sam within sight. He would probably think that Sam went back to being a blood junkie, feeding off the blood of demons like he had done what seemed so long ago. If not that, maybe he would think that Sam had abandoned him. In a way he was, but it would keep him safe too. "You said pick a hemisphere Dean and I never asked why it was you felt you had to watch over me yet again. For that I'm sorry. I know I'm your baby brother but I'm not little anymore and you should have a life too. Maybe Cas could watch out for you where I couldn't. I do love you."

He did even though it didn't look like it. By staying away the angels and most of all Lucifer would leave Dean alone. What could they do if they didn't have Sam Winchester to fight in the prized fight like every stupid thing imaginable seemed to predict? It only took Gabriel being around and showing him what he was missing to change that and he died doing it too. He died knowing there was no other option and he was probably too tired of hiding as well.

Sam frowned.

He would never meet his kid but that wasn't something he wanted to think of. It hurt knowing that his child wouldn't know him. It was worth it to know Gabriel the way he had but it didn't stop the hurt.

Laying one last glance to Dean who was snoring contentedly with an arm over his face and probably one of his hands covering the weapon he hid under his pillow, Sam allowed himself a small grin. In years to come he wanted to remember Dean's face. If not how peaceful he was then how he looked so he wouldn't have to forget. He didn't forget himself what he was going to be putting Dean through but it had to be worth it. He told himself this because it had to be true.

Dean would be safe and that was all that mattered in the end.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: The characters of supernatural aren't mine

* * *

**~Chapter One~**

"I swear I wasn't THAT bad!"

Sam rolled his eyes at his fourteen year old that still seemed to think that he couldn't see through his innocent looks. Best of all though, he knew that the little cretin also knew that it was going to be the talk at the bar, especially when all the kids' parents also went there as well.

"Gabe, why do you have to insist to fight with people?" Sam just asked instead. He was already exhausted by the amount of time he had to work to scrape by with every cent possible. The least his son could do would behave and just learn in school. He pushed a plate of chicken fingers towards him and heaved back a sigh.

"I swear it was that rat!" Gabe continued rather boldly. He knew his father wouldn't believe him; he always took what the schools said over anything he tried to tell him. Something that Gabe really hated since almost everyone in the entire school didn't want him there.

"And I try to believe that you are trying your best but come on Gabe, I wasn't born yesterday," Sam continued with a silent glare, daring him to continue with his triad of what he supposedly wasn't at fault with. He knew he was being hard on his son but this was his boy, his baby and he meant the world to him. "All I'm trying to say that nobody accidentally starts their classmate's clothes on fire without doing something to actually cause it."

"I already told you I don't know how that happened," Gabe picked up, his amber, golden eyes flashing in frustration.

Why oh why did he have to look like Gabriel, Sam thought silently. It wasn't as clear when the kid was an infant and was too tiny to see which parent he was going to take after but now it was fast becoming a fact that he was going to take after Gabriel more and Sam hated that. At least he didn't seem to have an issue with height. Yet.

"I swear I didn't see that one coming," Gabe continued. "One minute I was angry because he threw a water balloon at me and I was already late for class-"

"See that's what you get for being late for class," Sam let out a grin at the very thought that even the kid's mannerisms slightly mimicked the parent he would never get to know. And to think how lots of parents always said the teenage years were the worst. He was now starting to see why.

"Details," Gabe mumbled and then spoke up after Sam narrowed his eyes. "Like I said, he threw a water balloon at me. I was mad and not thinking right. I wished he would burn in hell for all eternity and for some reason he just burst into some flames but only on his sleeve."

"Unfortunately," he added in a mumble.

Sam caught it though.

"Please Gabe; you know I don't ask you much. You got into this school on a scholarship so I am relieved that I don't have to pay for your school books or anything related to classes because you get really good grades but I am not sure you'll get the same benefits if you were suddenly going to public school. This should be an honor that this is something you could do on your own."

Gabe shook his head.

"If I were able to help by getting a job to support us as well-"

"Absolutely not!" Sam immediately interrupted. "School is your only worry so leave everything else to me. Why is it that you just can't be happy for what you have?"

Gabe went to open his mouth and shut it when he realized that he shouldn't go there. His father thought he didn't know and that was probably the way the man wanted it. Why couldn't he just for the sake of the both of them stop all the things he did under the table? Looking around, he noticed it wasn't really busy today and yet that still didn't help his thoughts. It didn't stop his dad from sacrificing his pride to get the much-needed money that they needed and yet he wouldn't let Gabe get a job. If only, but it wasn't something that his father would let up on in the near future anyways.

"I am happy with what we have," Gabe finally spoke up. He turned his head sideways when he saw what seemed to be a stranger at the corner of the bar. He was definitely new there and having known everyone in this small hanky town, he would have thought that strangers would be smart enough to avoid it. Turning back to his father, he began to reply when Sam held up his hand.

"You have five minutes to get home and then call me so that I know that you'll be fine," Sam instructed him. Gabe stared at him in astonishment although he routinely had to do that on a school night. Luckily Sam had talked the principal out of suspending him which didn't take much anyways since apparently Gabe was 'intelligent' enough. "No buts Gabriel Michael Vincent Wincaster!"

Gabe winced.

Of course he chose now to use his full name, confessional name included. Did he have to be a catholic in that sense though? Of course he had to do that too. His father never missed a day of mass or a single confession and that was saying something. Getting the guy to remember an important event wasn't easy in any way and reminders always had to be given but the guy and church were inseparable. Whatever it was didn't faze him at all. He was a firm believer that if there was a God then his father wouldn't have had to work a late night shift at a bar known to swarm with prostitutes. He also knew that if God was real, then his father wouldn't have had to go through the humiliation of giving his body for the exchange of money to further support the both of them.

"Fine but if I get mulled by a bear you'll have to work extra hard to pay for my funeral." Gabe got down from the stool anyways and Sam just gave him an amused glance.

"Don't forget to take out the trash, wash the dishes, and brush your teeth," Sam calmly reminded him as though it wasn't an everyday thing.

"After that you want me to clean the rest of the house spotless?" Gabe retorted, causing Sam to roll his eyes. "Seriously no matter how much you clean the dump, it'll never be truly clean."

"Alas my son," Sam replied sarcastically. "Sarcasm meet Gabe Wincaster. Gabe Wincaster, you know sarcasm, you use it every day!"

"Hey now, you act like I'm becoming you," Gabe joked causing Sam to look at him oddly.

He shook his head and shooed Gabe towards the door before adding, "If anything and with that mouth you act like someone I used to know. When I say someone I used to know, I mean someone who knew how to use sarcasm down to the finest design. I thought he was the king of sarcasm but give it a few years and you'll be the new king. You already were crowned king to the pain of my ass."

"Now that hurts somewhere deep," Gabe remarked but at Sam's look he finally took the hint.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Sam called as Gabe was leaving. Gabe turned and gave an all-around grin, his eyes lighting up at the very idea that they were playing for the final words today. Sometimes they did that and sometimes his father was so annoyed with him that he refused to even acknowledge a good-bye before Gabe went home for the school night.

"Why it's almost as though you thought I would simply be walking out of this door with a purpose."

"Gabe-"

"Yeah that's right. Now who's got the last word in," He called behind him before his father could even finish. Childish as it was, it was funny to see him get a hint at the frustration that Gabe felt every day when thinking of what his father submitted himself too.

Sam sighed but just cradled his head in his hands at the thought of his son proving how much of a pain in the ass he was being. Typically his normal self, basically. He didn't regret a single thing though. Sure he had to work harder because apparently Sam Wincaster never even finished high school like Sam Winchester did and in stripping himself of that name, he had to fight to do everything right. Hacking into various things could get him caught and he didn't want that. He didn't want anything to do with angels, demons, nor any monster that would be after him and his son. Despite Gabriel giving his very life for him, he found that he couldn't allow his son to experience what his parents did and as soon as he could, bound his powers within him so deep, it would take an outside force to be able to tap into it.

Not something he had really wanted for his son but it would protect him and keep him unknown to the various angels who would definitely be after him. His son would be on the menu alone just for being a nephilim, which was supposed to be an abomination. If that didn't help any, Sam was sure that the demon blood probably passed something down to his son that he would have been aware of if he let the kid come into his powers naturally instead of trapping them deep within his core. They wouldn't come out though, they couldn't. They were dropped out of the radar thanks to the Enochian sigil that Sam still had burned into his ribs. He hoped beyond everything as Gabe was growing up that he wouldn't be a beacon for anything out to get him or worse, he was able to be sensed because he didn't have anything to hide himself from them. Thankfully it looked like by binding them, those powers weren't able to be sensed by even the most powerful of angels.

Nobody would get his baby, not without getting through him and that was one promise he would keep. He already lost Gabriel before he truly appreciated him and he wasn't going to lose the baby he bonded with since he gave birth to him. If his child died then they would have to dig two graves because he would be done with this world.

He had no way of knowing whatever the future brought would be everything he tried to stop.

* * *

Sam was wiping the tables when the glass that was situated too far at the end of the table almost fell to the marble floor. He caught it quick enough and cursed his luck that the guy that had occupied the table all night was still there. He knew that he had a long way to go and he was already exhausted from the calls he received by Gabe's teachers and one from the principal as soon as he tried to get the sleep he had desperately needed for the shift. Whatever was he going to do with that boy? He still had yet to talk about the punishment for not being at the right place and for the reaction he had to the boy's poor luck. No matter how much he hated that student, he had to realize that it didn't mean he could be disappointed when the kid was saved through means of a fire distinguisher. What scared him more than that was the fact that he said it happened as though nobody else had done it. His mind was already running loops around the fact that his boy could have caused it even though he had deeply locked those powers. He had kept himself from thinking of it but he may have to put a tighter bind on them now that he thought about it. He was getting older and it stood to reason that an infant was much smaller than a fourteen year old boy who was fast becoming more powerful even though he didn't realize it.

He frowned seeing the man still in the corner and at the same spot since two hours before when his son was here. Cleaning the last glass and setting it on the counter, he went over and let out what he hoped was a warm smile. His hair was a little on the long side nowadays, reaching just to the nape of his neck but nobody seemed to bothered by it and he knew this stranger probably wouldn't be too disturbed either by the looks of it. He had long dirty blonde hair and Sam wasn't able to tell what color eyes he had since he wasn't looking his way but Sam planned on changing that. He looked like somebody he knew and hoped it wasn't anyone he wanted to avoid. It wouldn't be very welcoming if they walked in here right now after all these years.

"Hey, I couldn't help but seeing you lonely here and I was wondering if you were okay. I don't mean to bother you if you don't want to be disturbed but-"He cut himself off seeing that the man was staring at him with such a pretty green set of eyes that Sam was almost stunned. He wasn't by any means ugly by any standards and he had no telling how old he was but the weird thing wasn't that at all.

He was staring at Sam right now like he was someone he missed greatly. Sam didn't remember any people with that unusual eye colors around even back in the days whilst he was hunting and frowned at the thought of this guy looking as though Sam was someone who came from a dream.

"You haven't been bothering me," The stranger managed.

Sam nodded but realized that by hair grooming standards, this young man's hair was to his upper shoulders and he was wearing a worn pair of jeans with a hole at the knees and a beat up aqua sweater. His eyes may have been a pretty green color that he had never observed before in a human but they looked sad and if he thought for a moment, he almost thought that they flashed a bluish silver color. Sam shook it off quickly and smiled as to not seem rude.

"You must be a far ways away." At the stranger's look, Sam explained, "You haven't obviously been around here for long and since I never forget a face, I know I haven't seen you here before. At least from what I have seen anyways. If you are rich that's another story but then I'd have to ask what you are doing here instead of the clubs."

The stranger laughed and Sam couldn't help but feel that it was wrong. He didn't like the thought that this stranger was still no more than a kid and yet his laughter was rough, his eyes hardened, and he seemed to be all alone. Nobody deserved that and Sam knew that he wouldn't wish it on anybody even the enemies that his son seemed to be steadily collecting although his son probably thought differently right now. He'd give him a few years and then see if he changed his mind about imagining their agonizing deaths like he liked to tell him if Sam thought to listen to the details.

"I never really thought about that," The stranger looked thoughtful and Sam shook his head with a widening smile.

"I guess it's safe to say that you haven't thought of the benefits of the rich community yet," Sam continued taking a liking to the conversation already. "I swear it's like I'm talking to my son and he just left half an hour ago. Now that I think of it, he has yet to actually call me to tell me he's home safe. I'm gonna kick his butt as soon as I'm home though and that kid is going to learn to call in so I don't have to worry as much if it kills me."

He meant that as a joke but when the stranger seemed to sober up at the thought, Sam just stood there wondering what had happened in his short lifetime that would cause him close up at any opportunity to get to know him.

"I'm Sam Wincaster," Sam introduced himself realizing how rude it seemed. "The kid I mentioned is my son Gabe. He's a little smart ass but hopefully in a few years he will be able to see that everything I do, I do for love."

"I'm Caleb Michaels."

"So Caleb," Sam finally said after a pause in which he couldn't really see how the name fit him. He was getting a really weird vibe from him as it was. "What brings you to this bar this late at night?"

"Not much really," Caleb was looking at his watch now and Sam realized that it was a really good-looking Rolex and he knew just how much they cost. Either he had a friend or family member that was rich or he was lying to him and Sam didn't know how he felt about that. "Thanks for the conversation Sam. I really gotta go though so thanks."

Sam was sure that Caleb wasn't used to saying the name aloud. Of course he wasn't, he was a stranger before tonight and he was obviously one of those loaded people who didn't have any problems when it came to money.

Sam frowned though.

He couldn't help but think that deep, deep down, he really knew him.

He just didn't know where.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: The characters of supernatural aren't mine

* * *

**~Chapter Two~**

"Put away the dishes Gabe! Do the dishes Gabe! Oh and when you're done, take out the trash can Gabe! Seriously, I should have been named after a dog cause then it would have at least been fitting." Gabe paused, seeing the silhouette of a shadow and glanced up, relief spreading across his face when he noticed it wasn't anyone dangerous.

"What are you two doing out of here late at night?" Gabe thought to ask even though he knew it was of no good. The majority of the time it was them breaking into someone's houses whether it was the rich side of town or even the well to do middle class that made enough to become comfortable in their living. They weren't like a lot of people in Gabe's shoes where their parent or parents worked almost all the time and yet they still hardly had enough to make ends meet.

Mark the shorter of the two cleared his throat and indicated to his brother Jacob who was at least a whole head taller. Both were exact opposites of each other although they were twins. Fraternal twins to be exact but they never shown any indication other than age that they really shared the womb at the same time. Mark had long dark hair he kept in a low ponytail and big brown eyes. Jacob on the other hand had blonde hair that reached his mid back and he liked to keep it down. He had hazel eyes that glistened with malice when he thought of he had something particularly nasty on his mind. In fact both their eyes were glistening with some form of hidden malice and Gabe was somewhat hesitant in what it would entail.

"Remember old lady Cynthia?" Mark asked, crossing his arms and sharing a pleasant look with Jacob over it.

Gabe could only know what that meant. They probably hurt her and his gut churned at the thought of the nice old woman that allowed him to help her home whenever he would catch her out and about. She even gave him some cash as a tip and refused to take it back no matter how much he tried. He wondered aimlessly if his father would complain about that.

"Yeah I know her," Gabe answered cautiously.

"Apparently she died," Jacob picked up after his brother with a shrug. "She was real old anyways and she always had this creepy smile on her face. I think she should have been in a nursing home long before this anyways but hey, if you don't have family then there's nothing you could do but suffer as you rot your days away in old age."

Gabe didn't like that remark at all. He remembered how gentle and kind Miss Cynthia had been and it was rude of Jacob to say those things especially since he had known nothing of her family. He did though and it further caused him great sadness to think about what she had told him but he was glad that she finally got some peace. She was always talking about her little girl who had drowned down in the bay and how she always blamed herself because little Ainsley had only been four at the time.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" Gabe asked and Jacob just laughed in response, slapping his arm as though it was a really funny joke.

Gabe didn't like it one bit. The twins may have lived in the same neighborhood as him but their mother made a lot more money in income thanks to the drugs she sold. They may not have had television but they had many fine-looking clothes that weren't worn out or had patches on them. Even now they were wearing expensive looking jeans, both blue whilst Mark wore a blue polo shirt and Jacob wore red. Gabe observed his long blue buttoned down t-shirt and patched and worn black jeans. He wore a white undershirt since it was known to be okay one minute but a little chilly the next. He knew it was just starting soon and he didn't want to imagine how they were going to handle winter this time around. It made Gabe glad that he was born in the end of March since it was spring and they didn't have to worry about all the snow they were going to get.

"We want to just go for a walk for now," Mark commented, placing an arm around Gabe's shoulders.

Jacob joined them, unable to hold back a laugh at the thought of what Gabe believed to be what they were planning. Maybe they would possibly tell him so he didn't have to guess but then they turned into an alley way and they laughed again.

"Do you believe in the supernatural Gabe?" Mark suddenly asked and for some strange reason, Jacob's face lit up like a beacon.

Still confused Gabe shook his head.

"Are you guys saying you believe in all that superstition?" He asked now starting to get worried. He was supposed to call his father and if he didn't get his butt home soon and told him he was fine, his father would ground his ass a lot longer than he probably already had for the fiasco at school. Forget suspension, it was going to feel a lot worse once his father was through with him.

"It's so true," Jacob spoke up with a frown. "We even caught one in a devil trap. It's a nice little demon but then again they are probably playing us because it probably wants to get out."

Gabe finally realized what they were getting at and fought to keep his laughter in. Demons? Really? They didn't exist and even if they had, the odds of both the twins capturing one had to be rare unless the demon really was stupid. He frowned thinking of all the possible things they could have done to it and wished that he had just went straight home now instead of taking the long way just to spite his father. He wasn't going to disobey a direct order from the man ever again unless it was about getting some money. Then it was all game.

"I don't want to know what you did with it," Gabe finally said and Mark laughed giving his shoulder a squeeze.

"Of course you would want to. We didn't hurt him yet. Not much anyways."

Somehow even with the disbelief still bubbling to the surface, Gabe decided it couldn't be that bad. They were obviously delusional and in need of a really good psychiatrist but other than that, they wouldn't kill some innocent man.

They couldn't, could they?

* * *

Caleb waited and waited for an opportunity such as this. Having lived the life he had, he had always thought of things that would have been better off had he simply not gone down that road. He knew of plenty of times that he thought what was being done to him was unfair only to find out afterwards that he should've cherished those moments. Glancing at his watch, he wondered how things had gotten so messed up.

Things had to change though so he would take that risk.

Glancing up from his Rolex, his thoughts turned to Sam and his gaze softened for what he felt had to be eternity. That man always was a good person that was stuck in a bad situation. Even though he did what so little people did and he refused to complain about it. Sure he always did whine over the destiny that befell over his head but once he realized it was useless, he accepted it and tried to change what he didn't like. So Gabriel coming into a picture had been a complete miracle although Caleb couldn't honestly say he met the guy, he liked the effect he had seemed to have on him. For one, it gave him his child, the one he would die for no matter what. Still, Caleb wished for once that things would turn out okay for him because he was sick of the man not getting a happy ending. It was always either drawn, worn out, or ended in something tragic.

He couldn't let the same thing happen.

Speeding up he paused to read the sign. Broadway and Lutheran Street. He sighed for what seemed like the twentieth time that day and thought back to what he ought to be doing. It didn't change things, he told himself. If he didn't stick to what he had to do instead of what he'd wanted, things wouldn't change and everything would be the same. They would, he told himself. Because he could name a couple of things that already because of that he found himself for the first time praying for a miracle.

Because if the outcome didn't change he would have to go back and try again.

* * *

"I don't think we should be making fun of the man Jacob," Gabe warned not liking what they were doing already.

The twins laughed despite that and the man looked on anxiously in trepidation of what was going to be done. Gabe couldn't let himself do nothing about it though. Did that man have a family? He probably did and what would they say if he suddenly turned up missing? He knew if it was his father he would beyond himself with fury. He wouldn't rest until he got the person responsible for it and did justice what the system has failed to do for years. He couldn't let those two get away with everything this time around because even if that man was a demon, he was sure they could very much go to jail for torture. Right? Because he was hoping when they mentioned demon, they meant the man was a very bad person and not this superstitious being that was commonly found in the bible or mainly the fantasy section of a book store. Sure he loved those fantasies but it couldn't be real, it was most often a delusion.

"Come on Gabe, stop being such a wimp. You think this demon would let you get away just because you were hurt? No man, he would tear out your intestines before you even had a chance to scream for help and then your family would hear a different version than what really happened to yah."

Gabe was still unconvinced and thought they were making it up to sound like the good guys. Did they even know what they were doing? He stepped towards the man in question and took a good solid look at him. He had on a nice black suit that was now torn and had blood stains on it thanks to the beating. His blue tie was wrinkled but other than that, Gabe was sure he wouldn't have to replace that. Yet his face took the massive of all the beatings that they put the guy through. He had dried blood crusting around his nostrils and the side of his forehead had it too. He felt really sorry for the man who had to endure it whilst being in a chair so he couldn't defend himself from any of it. To make matters worse they were taking it to a whole new level. Didn't they see they were hurting him?

"Stop Gabe," Mark warned him. "He's fine. Our dad is a hunter and he got torn apart by this shit bag-"

"Please I didn't!" The man in question spoke up for the first time. Gabe turned his head at the pleading tone in his voice and bit his lip, not believing he was just letting them get away from this. He couldn't live with himself if they did anything to him though. He wouldn't. "I have a wife and two girls! Lindsay and Emily! My wife will be beside herself with worry and if anything were to happen to me then she would be alone and scared!"

"STOP LIEING YOU DAMNED DEMON!" Mark shouted, letting his anger get the best of him. "YOU DIDN'T SEEM TO CONSIDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN YOU KILLED MY FATHER! MY MOTHER WAS LEFT ALONE AND PREGNANT WITH KIDS WHO NEVER GOT TO SEE THEIR FATHER!"

"Please have mercy!" The man screamed.

"SHUT UP!"

Jacob striking the man around the head made Gabe making up his mind. Before either of them could warn him not to do anything stupid, he crossed the red paint and untied him from the chair, cutting him loose with a pocket knife he found in the dumpster some weeks back. It was old and ratty but it had its purposes and he didn't see any harm in keeping it since it had been thrown away in the first place.

The man lost all of his helplessness and before Gabe could even utter a sound, the knife was pressed to his throat and the man had an evil about him that made Gabe wince. Couldn't they have said that this man was a mass serial killer or something? Someone who robbed lives and killed babies? Because demon just wasn't a word to define this man with alone. He seemed too evil for that.

"You will let me out of this nice little devil trap that you two rusted up between you or the brat gets a cut to his throat," The man growled and Gabe finally discovered that for some reason the guy couldn't seem to get out of the painted pentagram. Was it really a joke to them because this was going too far already and if he didn't call to let his dad know he was okay then he was sure there would be police all over the place when he finally reached the house.

"Let Gabe go," Mark scowled.

"Nope, you can't make the rules anymore," the man replied snidely. "In fact, this kid could probably get me out, couldn't yah kid?"

"Don't do it," Jacob quickly spoke up. "If you do he would go on a killing spree and it won't be pretty for you at all. Maybe you will still die if we can't help you but think of the millions of others that would get hurt from this pig-"

"Well I could name person that would make my ass grass," Gabe surmised and the man chuckled darkly, letting the knife nick him a little so Gabe could see that he wasn't playing.

"Are you going to let me out of here any time soon? I'm wasting daylight hours."

Gabe lazily tried to turn his eyes to his direction but found that he couldn't since the man had a tight grip on him. Instead he rolled his eyes and muffled a hiss when he felt the knife pressed further against his throat as if to give him a warning. He was sure that it made a tiny cut there already and wanted desperately to get far away without being harmed. He should have never followed them here; he knew that now because this was such a bad idea from the start.

"Well I was thinking of but you kind of have the knife held there and I couldn't very well bring myself to move into it no matter how much the sight of my blood would please you."

"Did you just sass me boy?" the man asked lethally.

"I believe the correct term was question," Gabe quickly corrected. "And if you at least loosen the hold a bit, I could very well do what you ask of me."

He felt it loosen and knowing that he wasn't playing around with the knife, Gabe brought his foot to the circle and made sure that he did what was asked of him. Seeing the break in the pentagram, the man threw Gabe aside and appeared instantly behind the twins, knocking them to the wall. Gabe winced seeing that they were unconscious and made a mental note to try to apologize to them when they weren't in a pissed off mood. Seeing the demon come towards him suddenly made Gabe a believer. No normal human would have the strength to do all this and there was a reason that he wouldn't be able to get out of the pentagram. It was a demon trap like one of the twins had told him. Scuffing at his own stupidity, he backed up and cursed their luck at having to do this in an abandoned warehouse on Malcolm Avenue. Nothing good ever happened around this street unless it was a drug deal and those usually happened towards the opposite direction facing 22nd Street. Cursing his luck again, Gabe was pretty sure he was out of options when his back hit the wall and he saw the demon grin.

"I'm not the one that hurt you," Gabe spoke up hoping to distract him. It did neither since the demon just grinned maliciously. "I even saved you from those two. Shouldn't you be trying to be a little nicer to me? Don't you have that debt you have to pay for me saving your, uh, I can't say soul because you ain't got one do yah?"

"Pretty clever for a kid," The demon admitted grinning even more maliciously than Gabe ever thought was possible.

"I was at the top of my class last year. I even got every question right on my entrance exam," Gabe told him. "It gave my dad an excuse to say that I was smart and whatever I did was not going to work on him. In simpler terms, he knew I wasn't stupid."

"You ever heard that you have a smart mouth?" The demon seemed a little annoyed now and Gabe tipped his head sideways.

"I just got done telling yah that I'm at the top of my class. I'm also not liked much either-"

"With you being you, I could see why." Gabe saw that the demon was now clearly agitated and that was not a good sign.

"Why must you do everything in your power to kill me?" Gabe asked and the demon halted a second before coming straight for him.

Leaning back against the wall again, he curled up into a ball hoping that would be enough and closed his eyes for when it wasn't. The demon was closing in and Gabe was sure today would be the day he was going to die. He didn't want to die a version. Like hell! He never even got a chance to ask a girl out and now he was going to die young and make his father lose all interest in life. He always told him that if God forbid, anything happened to Gabe, his father would tell them to dig a second grave because his father would follow him six feet under.

He grimaced at the sad truth, opening his eyes, and had almost accepted his fate even though it wasn't quite fair when a sudden white light flashed between them, blinding Gabe from even seeing what was going on.

Everything in his path was now a blinding light that was sure to make him blind and if the demon was anywhere close, he was sure that the demon was feeling the effects if not more since he was a dark creäture.

Gabe just hoped he wouldn't have to die just yet.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: The characters of supernatural aren't mine

* * *

**~Chapter Three~**

When the bright light disappeared, Gabe could have sworn he was blind for a second or two. He also couldn't believe something like that would have happened in the tiny warehouse that was vacant the majority of the time. Nothing exciting ever happened on Malcolm Avenue. He knew it. So that something like this turned up was starting to make him doubt that supernatural entities were just stories made up by parents to scare their kids. His father had blatantly said that anything but God and the bible were totally false. Of course he forgot to ask about the demons. He knew he should have asked him that.

He paused to see that the demon was staring over in shock and turning over; Gabe could have done the same thing. Shock kept him from standing back up but not from passing out. The demon on the other hand, seemed to think it was something else and seemed pretty vocal about it too.

"You can't be here! This isn't possible-"

"Really because I thought that you were a smart demon. Lilith always took a liking to you. Was it because you failed to do what she had planned that you suddenly gone down the food chain instead of being promoted?"

He wasn't just anybody; he was the stranger that Gabe had seen at the bar his father worked at. He was there for two whole hours too. He knew he wasn't human because no normal person would be of age and just sit there sipping on a coke. Of course his voice was also hoarse as if from misuse so he must not have talked a lot nor had many friends. Before Gabe could ponder it, the demon was heading for him again and Gabe let out a gasp of surprise. He thought the demon would be done with him since the other man shown up but he seemed to assume that taking out the weakest link was the best course of action.

It wasn't.

Gabe found himself beside the stranger and backed into the wall again, only this time he wasn't demon kibble. The demon looked angry that he didn't get him and glared at the both of them. The stranger's eyes narrowed and before Gabe could warn him that it probably wasn't the best to mess with the demon when he stepped forward.

"GET OUT!" he commanded hoarsely and the smoke coming out of the man's mouth was truly amazing and not in a good way. Was he suddenly going to have smoke billowing out of his mouth too? He clapped a hand over his own anyways and looked at the stranger in a new light. He dropped his hand when the man dropped dead on the spot, awe setting in that anything like that could truly happen. It didn't explain why the person the demon was possessing couldn't make it however.

"You might want to help my friends, they were knocked down and-"Gabe didn't get a chance to continue for he was already there and placing an index finger to their foreheads. It was like they were as good as new and Gabe's mouth dropped open at the little display of power shown.

"Your friends are going to be okay," He told him much to Gabe's appreciation. "They shouldn't remember the demon escaping and if they do, they definitely won't remember being thrown into a wall. But I've never had a problem so they won't remember the incident entirely. Now that that's out of the way, come here."

It was an order and yet Gabe found that he didn't do well with taking orders unless his father used that threatening voice he got when he was severely irritated with something Gabe had done. Also there was the chance of him listening when his father used his full name. That meant he was trying not to show how very pissed off he was.

"Jeez, it's ain't like I'm gonna hurt you now," he warned and Gabe shook his head, still remaining in the spot he took refuge at when he was transported from where he would have been demon bait.

Okay so maybe he wasn't bad because if he had really wanted to hurt him, he wouldn't have intervened but he gave off such weird vibes that Gabe was sure he would be walking into another trap. He shook his head instead and saw the stranger sigh and placed a hand over his head in irritation.

Seeing his hairstyle, Gabe thought of how cool it would be to have his hair grow out like that. Right now he had an annoying mop of dirty blonde/light brown hair that refused to lay flat whatever he did with it. Maybe if he tried to grow it out, he thought. His father told him he would have a better chance of controlling it that way but also warned him that he had scissors and he wasn't afraid to use them either. Thanks to that threat that has been in place, Gabe never had seen a reason to try. But now out of all times, he wanted to try. And the green eyes were very unusual. How weird. He didn't mind though. Girls were down with guys that had unique and rare eye colors that he wouldn't complain too much.

"So charming place to meet someone," Gabe finally said after a long enough pause.

The man still looked irritated and if there was ever an indication on how much of an annoyance Gabe was, this was it. The man's agitation rose if anything and he turned and looked like he was trying to keep his temper in check. It was funny to see him hold his breath like that at least.

"What are you doing, pretending to be underwater?" Gabe asked, giving into the temptation. "I mean who in the hell tries to calm themselves that way?"

"Anyone who has a habit of killing someone who annoys me by making them a pile of ashes," he admitted and Gabe gaped at him.

Okay so maybe he should watch what he said. He didn't want to be ashes on a carpet or something of that caliber and he knew that he was truly showing that he didn't want to hurt him either so he took a hesitant step forward and seen him stiffen. Was he that paranoid that he jumped even at the tiniest things?

"Why are you jumpy man?" Gabe asked with a frown. "If you want me to trust you, I need your name and the reason you helped me. I'll start I guess. I'm Gabe Wincaster."

Gabe stood and waited for the man to share information on whom he was and finally after a nod, he did.

"I'm Caleb Michaels and I think it's obvious the reason I saved you-"

Gabe snorted.

"You followed me around smart ass," he told him. "I saw you at the bar for two hours and I saw the looks you gave my dad. If you even think of touching him I'll-"

"First off I don't think I would pursue anything with him even if he did try to initiate one," Caleb stated calmly crossing his arms. "Second of all, I followed you because you are trouble. I'm your uncle kid and-"

"Lies," Caleb corrected him again. "I only have one uncle and my father doesn't talk about him ever."

"I'm talking about the parent you never got to know kid," Caleb warned him. "I'm your other father's brother and not a very good one obviously since you obviously suffered much of the same things but there's a difference. The demon came earlier for you. My fault again but I'm hoping that it is a good thing-"

"I don't understand," Gabe told him with a frown.

Caleb matched it and quickly shook his head and put his index and middle finger against Gabe's forehead. Gabe's frown deepened quickly at that. He didn't want to forget any of this but as soon as he opened his mouth to tell him off, he felt a sudden jolt. That couldn't be good. Then his head exploded and his knees buckled. The pain was searing hot and he knew he was foolish to trust someone claiming to be a long-lost relative when he himself wasn't exactly around much. His father told him there was only one and said that he wouldn't have to worry about meeting him and Gabe never questioned him but experiencing the pain now, he cried out and almost screamed, feeling everything fade out.

* * *

Sam rushed into the house with every intention of killing the boy. He turned on the lights as soon as he reached the tiny kitchen that connected from the front door and lead into the living area. The house was quite small and only had two bedrooms. The first one placed a washer and a dining room table that he got cheap in a yard sale. The second room his son shared with him and it wasn't bad since they both had a large bed and Sam made a point never to bring anyone home. In his mind, anyone he brought in could end up being violent and turning the violence onto his kid. With a baby as small as Gabe was, he didn't want to risk it. Especially since he was always admitted for severe illnesses. The meningitis at two months old scared him the worst yet.

Coming into the living area, he saw his son leaning forward on the worn out love seat and was going to shout at him when he saw that he was holding his head tightly and moaning deeply. Coming forward, he quickly felt it with the back of his palm and was relieved that he didn't have a fever. Leaning his son's head back onto his lap, he frowned and wondered what caused it.

"Baby?"

Gabe just moaned and curled up tightly into a ball. Sam felt bad about the thoughts he had about grounding him now, especially since he was suffering so much. Hating them, he pushed the thoughts back to beat him up mentally another time and quickly pulled Gabe closer. He was glad that he had an understanding boss that put up with him because he was sure anywhere else he would have to come to an issue when it came to communication. But then again, who else got extra payment for sleeping with their boss, he thought wincing at the thought alone.

"It hurts dad, it hurts so much," Gabe whined.

Sam nodded and pulled him closer so that he could quickly think of an alternative. What could he do to give his son some relief? He didn't like the idea of his son not calling him though even when he was feeling bad and decided that he could yell at him later. Right now his son was in pain and he wanted to help him as much as he could.

"Baby what is going on?"

Gabe just moaned again and Sam tried not to freak out. He knew he still had some Tylenol somewhere but didn't know if he could get the boy to swallow it. Sighing, he grabbed the phone and dialed his work to let his boss know that he'd probably not be coming back for the night. With that, he called him and explained the situation. Thankfully his ass wasn't fired on the spot although he had said that the man had said that Sam could make it up to him. Sam shuddered at the thought but quickly hung up and placed Caleb back on the beat up pillow. Just as he was about to go find some, Gabe grabbed a handful of his shirt causing Sam to look back down.

"Please don't leave me," he whined and Sam's eye brow rose in question.

Why would he ever think that Sam would leave him? Especially being as hurt as he was, Sam wasn't going to be leaving him anytime soon. But he knew that on most days, he had troubles even getting Gabe to admit what he was feeling. Now he was obviously fearful and wanted his daddy to stay close to him.

Sam let out a soft smile at that thought.

Who would have thought that his baby still needed him this much? He knew he loved him but since the teenage years hit, he wasn't very forthcoming with information he thought would hurt his dad. Call it hormones or just being a normal growing teenager but for a while Sam felt like the times he bonded with his son was nothing more than a young child idealizing his parent. He brought his hand through Gabe's hair and that simple motion seemed to calm his agitated son down some.

"I'm not leaving baby, I'm getting you some Tylenol," Sam told him but Gabe still wouldn't release a hold on his shirt and after much coaxing, Sam laid down beside him instead.

Gabe put his head on his shoulder, not being able to hold a sniffle from the pain in his head. Sam allowed him that and brought one hand to run it through his son's hair and the other hand kept him secure from falling off this ratty old thing. He may not have had the life he imagined it being when he tried ensuring his baby would be safe but he did what he did for the very baby he had only been trying to protect. He loved his son and would do anything for him even though he sometimes didn't like it.

Now noticing that the pain seemed to ease some since Gabe was practically passed out now, Sam was able to frown at the thought of his son being in that much pain openly. Now that he had time to sleep, he found himself unable to do as he worried about an illness he probably picked up. He wasn't supposed to be sick. He was sick a lot as an infant and he didn't want to go through that ever again. Gabe was fine though, he also told himself. He had seen him grow and continued to grow into. He could say it was thanks to him raising Gabe but the kid was doing fine all on his own too.

As he lay there holding his son to him, his thoughts turned to darker things. The things in the past he told himself he was never going to go back to. He couldn't. Lucifer would probably still want him to say yes after all these years and finding Gabe who was the byproduct of his vessel and brother, there was no telling what he would do. Sam never wanted Gabe into the life of a hunter either and he knew if Gabe found out then there was no turning back but he wouldn't be happy. The life of a hunter was difficult and Sam knew that hunters normally only became hunters because someone of the family discovered it through tragedy or someone had experienced the tragedy themselves. For Gabe to actually begin to hunt he would have to be found out by Dean or something would have to happen to Sam. Because as long as he was alive, Gabe would not hunt, he told himself firmly. He would keep him safe and there was nothing Gabe would be able to do about it either.

Thoughts slowly turned over though to how much he was already looking like Gabriel. Of course he had his other father's name because Sam thought it would fit the baby who was already giving an unfair chance at life already. Gabriel had always done what he thought was right and he never wanted to fight with his brothers. So having named his son after him, he hoped that having been given a choice in any circumstance, Gabe would make them thinking with his heart and not logic nor his head. His baby was looking so much like Gabriel though that Sam could hardly believe that fourteen years had gone by. He could remember for what seemed like yesterday that his son had been a little infant crying every time he was startled. He was a good baby and Sam was truly blessed to have a son like him.

Oh yeah, he thought. Gabe was definitely one of the best things he had ever done.

* * *

Gabe woke up with a small groan and noticed his headache was now at a dull ache in the back of his head. He groaned again and put the old fleece blanket over his head as the sun peaked through the windows. He almost didn't care that he wasn't attending school today when a dry voice commented to him wryly.

"Just so you realize your daddy left a note telling you that you were excused and then went off to pay some bills. Guess he realized that you needed some more time to recuperate."

Gabe jumped up and backed to the other end of the couch. He didn't know what his game was but Caleb wasn't innocent in anything. As soon as the man touched him, he was hurting really bad and couldn't even think let alone deck him one for causing it in the first place. Glaring, he tried to approach this carefully because he still hadn't forgotten that he had quite a bad temper when he actually did get upset.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me what you're doing in my house?" Gabe asked with a pointed look.

Caleb sighed.

"Try to do the nice thing and bring you home so you didn't have to suffer and have daddy worried at the same time-"He trailed off seeing Gabe's look of disbelief.

He snorted.

"Thought I'd abandon you kid?" He asked snidely.

Gabe found himself shaking his head before stretching his arms above his head. Getting up from the couch, he quickly made his way around him and into the tiny kitchen, grabbing some poor substitute for orange juice that he was sadly used to. Sometimes when they had extra money on them his dad would buy him candy. Maybe with his luck, they'd have extra again soon. Until then, all he had to look forward to was this nasty watered down juice.

"You didn't explain a thing to me and I'm still wondering why I have to trust you exactly. I mean you didn't really show you were helping me. For all I know you could be trying to get close to me so you could hurt my dad-"Gabe quickly bit his lip seeing something that he never thought he'd see.

Caleb looked really upset at what he had just said and Gabe knew there was no way he'd be able to take it back. But he did think at one time that he had it in for the man at one time. Now he knew he genially cared what happened to him. Glancing at his darkened look at just the thought of Gabe's father being in harm's way actually gained him some trust. It wasn't easy, he knew it because some of the things he did were questionable but he was the only one that didn't look down at the man who raised Gabe nor thought of him as scum because of how he went about doing that. He was showing his father more respect than the man had received from anyone other than Gabe in a while.

That was something.

"Okay so maybe you aren't," Gabe finally said with a sigh. "But why are you here. I don't have any idea and I want to know so-"

"I was just keeping you out of harm's way," Caleb mentioned with a shrug.

"But why?" Gabe asked with a frown.

Why was everything happening to him? Why did he have to be bullied and told he was a cheater because other students thought he was too poor? Why did his father have to do the things he did just so he could feed Gabe when he could have given him up at birth and then he would be so much better off? Why was this man more caring than the old woman he had known that died recently?

So many questions and so many unanswered.

Gabe hated that a lot more than he hated school and that was something. Glaring at Caleb who didn't seem to find it inherently bad at all, he banged his fist on the counter and tried to get him to talk with one look. Apparently he needed some work because Caleb burst out laughing.

"You are so funny!" He managed in between laughs. At Gabe's heated glare, he calmed down and started to explain. "I forgot you are at the point in your life where you think that you need to know everything when you will soon find out that it will tear your world apart. I keep wishing every day that you were able to hone some of what I just released for so long that I practically blamed myself. But I released the lock in place so the only thing holding anything in is you now kid. You have something that I didn't growing up and you will be able to make sure you are ready because if you aren't I know that it won't end well for either of us."

"Why though?" Gabe demanded. "You keep telling me half-truths and you won't even explain yourself to me! Maybe if you were open then I'd be able to know what I do so that we could prevent whatever it was from happening! Besides what are you, from the future or something because you keep trying to tell me about something I have to change-"

"I'm from the future," Caleb answered as though Gabe just asked a stupid question. "Fifteen years in the future in fact. That's not important at the moment though. What is important is the fact that in twelve years' time you are too little too late. The mark of a hunter is that you lost someone to something you never thought existed. Namely it was the demon that was after you last night. In my time, it got away and I know it was something that couldn't be prevented just like we couldn't save the poor sod that it possessed. Right now though, you have to keep your eyes open and try to tap into those abilities I unlocked for you. I know it's too soon to have them but if you don't then your father will die."

It was then that Gabe finally understood why Caleb was always so mad whenever Gabe blamed him for messing everything up. Just like it explained why his eyes darkened and he looked put out at the same time when Gabe talked about him trying to hurt his dad. Caleb must have known his father sometime in the future and the man had been murdered.

Gabe dropped his hands and glared at the floor. It was no fair. His school life sucked and nobody liked him. He was a poor student with only a scholarship helping him out and the only thing he had in this life was going to die unless he did something about it. How unfair was that? It wasn't like he had chosen to be the one to screw over his dad in the end. The man worked so hard and sacrificed so much for the son who was going to be the reason that he died. He wanted to cry and another part of him just wanted to throw things. He wasn't ready to go without his father. He still needed him so much and he knew in the future he would need him just as much because he had been the one that cared when no one else gave a damn.

Glancing up, he looked to see that Caleb looked empathetic. Gabe nodded finally and sighed, turning over to him and realizing that if he was going to save his father, he might as well trust this man now.

"What do I do to tap into this ability?"

Caleb scratched his head.

"It will take some time but let's be lucky that the demon is probably wallowing in self-pity right now. He is just about the moodiest demon out there and I swear if demons were allowed, he would be one pmsing bitch."

"I can't wait to grow up and use profanity that sounds so cool it'll make others wish to be just like you," Gabe couldn't help it, he was sarcastic by nature and by the looks of it, Caleb already knew.

"I can't believe I had to choose to come here when you were at your height of being a smart ass. I almost forgot about all those lame sarcastic remarks and jokes at every opportunity. Let me tell you something, it stop when you lose your dad."

Gabe sobered immediately.

"I know I would have. Don't get me wrong because I love him so much but after so much pain I thought we would have been able to turn it all around. Was he ever at all happy?"

Caleb frowned and nodded.

"He was. It got better kid and then it got worse," he shared somberly. "Just remember that if he asks you anything, don't complain because there will be a time that you wish he was actually there to do that. You'll miss it so much and there will be so much you won't be able to take back."

"I say some mean things before he dies? How typical of me." Gabe had connected the dots and with that realization, shook his head. He hated what he had looking forward to. He didn't want to live in that life and if he would be able to stop it, he wish that Caleb would just tell him now.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, the front door opened up and Caleb nodded in farewell before he left. Gabe blinked and thought it to be a joke but he really just went poof in a way because he didn't just walk right through the kitchen. Turning his head and seeing his dad, Gabe smiled sadly. The man was the same as he always was. He was bringing in a brown paper bag which he knew had to have something in it to try to 'make' Gabe better. The sad thing was not that he would have to someday realize he was going to lose him to something he never thought was real.

No.

It was realizing that he would lose him after saying something he would regret for the rest of his life that brought Gabe down.

If he didn't fix this and his father still died, he just hoped that it wasn't on bad terms because dying was one thing but a life full of regret of something he could never take back?

He wouldn't ever be able to live that down.

And he would never be able to try.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: The characters of supernatural aren't mine

* * *

**~Chapter Four~**

Life was unfair but then Gabe already knew that. He now knew that his father was fated to die twelve years from now and he had to do something to stop it. He didn't know what it was but by the way that Caleb talked, he assumed it was some sort of key. It had to be with all that talk about unlocking something and the using an ability. Maybe he would get to learn how to fight or better yet how to fire a weapon.

Shaking his head from those thoughts, Gabe looked both ways and started to cross the street. His mind turned to school work and how the teacher was once again down his throat about some incidents that should have befallen on the student responsible. Nobody liked him though and loved to just blame him. Gabe Wincaster, loser and poor kid that couldn't get in like ninety-nine percent of the school. He had no idea about Kirsten but she was real pretty with blue eyes that seemed to dance in the sunlight and dark brown hair that fell down to her mid back. She had some curves on her and Gabe was sure that if he ever got the chance to talk to her that he'd like her two. She had just transferred to their school so maybe she wouldn't hate him like the majority of them already did.

Deep in thought he didn't notice the car heading towards him until he looked up and then he quickly jumped out-of-the-way, biting his lip and wincing from the pain of landing on hard concrete. Of course pain was better than being an idiot and letting the car hit him. He didn't want that. The other car seemed to agree and came to a halt almost immediately. It was a very pretty car and a classic too. Just looking it over he noticed that it was a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. They were better than Fords anyways.

"That is a cool car," He remarked seeing the man get out and wondered if he was going to yell at him.

Instead he just stood there and Gabe didn't realize why until he noticed his knees weren't scraped up anymore and that his arms were completely clean, but the guy wouldn't have noticed so he wondered why he had a staring problem. Blinking, Gabe managed to escape the man's hands already having experienced pain from trusting someone else being a little too close and personal to his bubble. Of course he trusted that jerk now too; he thought and then remembered it was because the Caleb clearly cared about keeping his father alive.

"CAS WHEN I SAY DRIVE THE CAR AROUND I MEANT BACK TO WHERE I WAS AND NOT AROUND THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD! ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M NOT IN IT!"

The man running up to them looked out of breath by the time he caught up and was leaning heavily on one knee that Gabe ought to take pity on him and spare him anything. Of course Gabe wasn't just anybody and he rebelled against the normal society rules of just about anything.

"Homeless, jobless, dumb, or special friends with the driver involved?" he asked trying to sound disinterested.

Cas just looked confused whilst the man glared at the both of them before seemingly doing a double take. Gabe tipped his head sideways realizing it was his turn to be confused but the man didn't stop there. He didn't mind personal bubbles too well and if it was to rough him up, then he wasn't going to be for it at all. He had principles damn it, even if he had happened to be wearing a poorly styled blue t-shirt because his father thought it was a good idea to go shopping at the local thrift store again. Yes his dad wore them often enough but Gabe didn't have the same fashion sense as his dad and had the right to refuse anything hideously ugly didn't get him out of wearing the shirt either.

"Who are you?" the man finally asked.

"A person," Gabe smartly replied. "Who are you?"

Cas thought that he was serious and by the looks of it, Gabe saying he was a panda bear would have had him believing it.

"I'm an angel but Dean is definitely a human," Cas said before Dean could stop him. The man glared such a heated look towards the guy that Gabe was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of it, he didn't want to burn from the intensity of it.

"Cas," Dean warned and Cas nodded as though this was often. Turning back to Gabe, he had on a neutral expression. One which Gabe thought was because he wanted information or probably some advice. He wasn't a psychiatrist and this Dean guy should probably talk to someone for his anger issues. "What is your name?"

Gabe didn't catch it at first but when he did, he put a hand through his hair and waited to see what the 'angel' was going to do. He just stood there and Gabe really didn't like how he seemed to stare through a person, especially since Gabe didn't particularly know whether he could read inside a person and know the very depth of them. Shaking his head, he instead turned back to Dean and decided for once to be reasonable. He could be but he just chose to give people a challenge to give them purpose in life. What was the point of something being easy if they had nothing to look forward too? That and he learned that if he played everything down, nobody could hurt him.

"I'm Gabe."

Dean nodded.

"Who's your dad?"

Gabe looked at him suspiciously now. Why would he just tell any stranger about somebody without a purpose? Did they think he was stupid? It wasn't just some stupid game of twenty questions and Gabe was on high alert for this demon that would come after his dad. It was something he didn't want to have to deal with now, even with Dean and Cas being as demanding as they were.

"Look your buddy was the one that tried to hit me," Gabe complained. "I promise not to press charges if you don't try to stalk me or come after any of my family members."

By family members he meant his dad but he wouldn't tell them that. And obviously his uncle but he still had to prove that part because he never heard of having any uncles that were that worn out and crazy although he had to admit it was pretty amusing at times. Caleb probably also had post-traumatic stress disorder since he didn't like anyone sneaking up on him and if they happened to come up without meaning to, he would know instantly. Not funny if he had to think about it but amusing to watch him stop in the middle of a conversation just for that. Maybe he would finally meet him somewhere empty so he could show Gabe what he meant by special training.

"Why would I tell you-"

"Dead, what do you want?"

Gabe swiveled to glance back to Caleb in shock. The man didn't seem upset and by Cas's surprised look, he noticed that he probably didn't like what he saw but was being nice by shutting up about it. Caleb quickly pushed Gabe to the side despite his complaint and gave what looked like a painful smile. Maybe Caleb did know them after all, Gabe thought. What kind of future did he come from if everything had to be so dark and painful? Wait, how old did that make his uncle then? He looked no more than thirty and he did realize there were some uncle's closer to their nieces or nephews but this was ridiculous.

"And just who might you be?" Dean asked suspiciously.

Caleb managed a grin.

"I'm Caleb Michaels, this trouble maker's uncle and guardian. Did you need anything?" Cas didn't say anything but Dean seemed to lack the ability of patience or control but Gabe already knew that. The guy was a walking time bomb more likely than not when it came to anger.

"Really?" Dean asked suspiciously. "You don't look grown enough on your own."

"I'm old enough," Caleb threw back. "Why don't you go back to what you were doing and we will continue with our own business. Just remember not to strike pedestrians over. You were lucky this time but you may be too late if you continue with your reckless driving."

Dean nodded muttering darkly and as Gabe ran to catch up with Caleb, he noticed the last thing he thought he would see on the man's face. Caleb was honestly amused, it showed that much but he wondered why. Didn't they have therapists in the future? It would help since Caleb had so many issues that they were too many to name. He was just glad he wasn't schizophrenic.

"Why did you do that?" Gabe finally asked and Caleb chuckled.

"Listen you stay away from your uncles until you meet up with them like you're supposed to," He seemed to halt at that and a smile slowly fell onto his lips. He looked nice that way and Gabe took the time to realize that and almost missed the part about his uncles being mentioned. And when it finally set in, Caleb grabbed him before he could think of going back there to confront them again.

"I know it's difficult to take in," Caleb told him with an eye roll. Gabe just crossed his arms and glared at him. "I know okay but you have to understand that they didn't come into the picture until you were way older and by then your dad-well let's say that when you meet them, you are all they had left of your father. It was a cruel reminder I know and for one I know what it feels like to look at someone and only be associated with the pain of remembering a person. Your dad does it so often sometimes when he thinks you aren't looking too. Did he ever tell you about your other father yet?"

Gabe shook his head.

"Not much anyways," Gabe added thoughtfully. "He just said that he wasn't always perfect but the one thing that they did together was by making me. I don't feel so good about that anymore because in the end I end up getting him killed-"

"Don't blame yourself," Caleb interrupted once again but more forcefully and Gabe noticed that his expression looked pained. "There are things about that year you wouldn't understand and I wouldn't want you to try. If you change things then I never want you to have to live with what could have happened and have it over your shoulders even when you've changed it."

Gabe nodded hesitantly and then beamed.

"I'm lucky I have you then don't I?" he asked with a big grin. "I'm sorry I haven't trusted you from the get go but I've been burned before and I just want you to know that I'm glad that you're my uncle. I don't know what I'd do without you and it was you that decided you had to come back to stop those horrible things for me. Thank you so much."

Caleb managed a half grin himself and shook his head.

"Okay kid, we're cool. Until you end up saying something that pisses me off again but we know that will happen, it's bound to with your personality," he added.

"I'll have you know that I, Gabe Wincaster, am a major in sarcasm. I went there, passed early with flying colors and since then my father has spent all his time reminding me about it. I thought he would be proud I was able to make something of it myself."

Caleb sighed and shook his head.

"Anyways I want you to keep the interaction with them minimal. Don't tell them who you are and once we get deeper into training then you could learn how to hide those powers which are growing within you." Caleb paused and Gabe felt like he was being read from deep within. It was the same thing that Cas did and that 'angel' was weird. But then again, it didn't seem so weird after all with what a demon running around of all things.

"Are angels real?" Gabe asked before he could stop himself.

Caleb nodded without missing a beat.

"Sure are. The majority of your uncles are all angels kiddo. Dean is your only human uncle in fact." He paused and made a disgusted face before adding, "In fact if anyone but those two and me claim they are your uncles, I wouldn't be too happy. Just get away from them and hide as fast as you can. Right now you are still not being noticed by any of them but that will soon change so I have to teach you to hide your true heritage from those that could target you-"

"Wait," Gabe held up a hand, finally getting what Caleb was talking about as the gears in his mind started working and everything clicked. "I'm part angel?! What the hell? I can't be because my father would have told me because he tells me everything-"

"No," Caleb admitted. "He thought he was doing the right thing by protecting you from the life he grew up with. He didn't want you being a hunter and missing out on things that could be taken for granted. Even as poor as you are, you have a roof over your head, a school to learn, and you don't have to fear for your life. It's what he wanted for you after your other father died."

Gabe frowned as he processed this and sighed, hoping he wasn't going to pass out from the shock. He found that they were going towards his block of houses and stopped so he could ask some more questions, hoping that Caleb wouldn't close up now. He was on a roll today and was actually answering questions.

"And my other father was-"

"An archangel by the name of Gabriel," Caleb answered calmly. "I know it's a shocker kid. See your father loved him so much he decided to name his kid after him. That and I think he hoped by naming him after one of God's archangels, he could put his mind at ease that the demon quarter you got from your father being half demon would cause. It's really troublesome if you think about it. His father, your grandfather has done research about your dad for years wondering if he was half demon or cambion as they are commonly called. You did get powers from both sides though. Your cambion side is weaker than your nephilim side but it's all good. It's not like you're in danger anymore."

"But demon blood and angel blood shouldn't be able to mix right?" Gabe asked frowning.

"Right and that was why you were sick as a baby. Just be glad that you are definitely more human than you have demon blood. Angel blood is heavenly so be glad you aren't that contaminated that much. It hasn't been heard of ever either so also count your blessings that you are alive."

Gabe was really happy for that even though he didn't like the thought of being a tri hybrid. He was human first and foremost but he was also a quarter demon and half angel. This was starting to make his head spin. Turning back to Caleb, he noticed that the guy had a habit of not looking at anyone's face either. Maybe it was the guilt thing again. He was discreet about it but Gabe wasn't stupid and he knew that the man had so much guilt piled up that he ought to be feeling worthless. But stuck in his situation, Gabe knew he would probably feel the same way. Nothing was worse than knowing people now that would die in a few years and he was worried that this was too much on Caleb.

"Where's the future me?" Gabe asked suddenly. Caleb didn't say anything or move and Gabe continued, anxious to know how he would be like in the future knowing he had inadvertently caused the death of his father. "Come on Caleb, I've gotta know. Do I end up with a lot of money? Do I become a hunter like my dad tried to prevent or am I just some stupid kid that still thinks life is unfair because my took my father away from me? I bet it's why you're annoyed with me, you hate what I've become-"

Caleb pushed him into the wall and glared menacingly at him with such ferocity that Gabe forgot that the man was one scary person when he was mad. Maybe this was why he came back when everyone else couldn't and as for his own future self, maybe he died and Caleb felt even more guilty. They did say that tragedy corrupts and Gabe knew if he ever lost his father in a way that he could have been prevented even when he had said such bad things that he couldn't take back made it worse. He gulped realizing that he accidentally set off one of Caleb's triggers. Caleb blinked and loosened his hold but didn't let go yet. Gabe held his breath in case he made him become mad again.

"Your future self is dead," Caleb confirmed. "He's been dead for about three years now and in his place left behind a monster that doesn't care about anyone or anything. Why would fixing things change anything? I don't know but I do want to save Sam this time around so that he doesn't have to suffer from all this. He didn't deserve anything that had happened to him and all he did was trying to live his life the best he could. Just change what you can and everything will be better for all of those involved.

"You mean to say I could end up with Kirsten if I change the future?" Gabe asked obviously pleased with himself. "She's a new transfer in my school and she's ho-ot!"

"I would slow down," Caleb drawled. "You think your dad is going to let you date? Plus with your luck she could end up being some drawn out warrior or someone trying to steal all your powers. You aren't a normal nephilim you know? You have more powers than you should have that poses the problem at hand and you aren't a normal cambion either because you have only weak powers."

"Thanks," Gabe replied dryly, already turning his mind to Kirsten who could come after him any day. Please be a warrior woman, he wished silently. Anything but someone who was sent to kill me. I think I'm in love.

Caleb smacked him over the head and Gabe glared at him.

"What was that for?" Gabe demanded.

"For being a teenage boy with hormones," Caleb mumbled heatedly. "I should have known."

"What is this, it's the end of the world as we know it," Gabe replied with mocked shock. "You actually don't know about somebody and I do!" At Caleb's warning gaze, Gabe continued with a knowing attitude, knowing that he had him. "It's surprising and scary that you know so much about me but you do and yet you don't know this girl at all. I think I should get to know her and who knows, maybe she'll end up being my angel."

Gabe continued walking towards the house, ignoring Caleb shaking his head and mumbling, "This is who I am helping to save things. The world is doomed."

Right now he didn't care because his dad was alive, his report card held all A's except for one B in geometry, and Kirsten was the only person where fate wasn't being intervened. He could work with that. He could and Kirsten was pretty enough and seemed smart enough that he wouldn't complain about it at all. He could see himself actually happily thinking about her already and he didn't just do that with any girl. He knew his dad wondered at one point if he was asexual and joked that he just didn't have any of those normal teenage hormones. It wasn't true; he just didn't tell him about his misadventures. Okay so they were more like missions to find someone who would make him happy like the stories of the kind of love his fathers had shared.

All he had to do was rack up the nerve to talk to her.


End file.
